(Page 1 of 2) Sanity (revised) by Rob Garbin
 (3 ratings)
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SUMMARY: This is a revised edition of the story I posted for the Flash Fiction contest "the return". He was surrounded by a throng of people. Hundreds of people and they were all disfigured strangers with dirty, grasping hands that clutched his clothing and touched his unprotected skin. He flinched and pulled away, bouncing from one person to the next, cringing inside. Fear of stirring them into violence stayed his need to lash out. He did not know what they wanted; all he knew was that he needed to get away to open space. Just when he was making progress, their mangy, tick infested pets began jumping into the mob. Struggling harder, he waded through the disgusting menagerie as the people and animals became increasingly decrepit. The air became thick with the stench of decay, soiled clothing, and rotting flesh.
His heart beat faster as each breath was less effective than the last. Hysteria made his eyes round and his body tremble, while his mouth hung open. His chest heaved but no air entered his lungs. Still the people and animals crowded in. Desperately, he began to throw himself bodily at them, looking for any breach that would lead to open space and a chance to flee. With a final heave he broke through a group of disease scared beggars into a relatively open area.
Instantly the air cleared and he took in great ragged gasps of breath. It was not until he caught his wind that he realized he was totally alone. He stood in the dark outside the gates of a massive castle with sullen flickers coming from nearly torches. He could barely see that the gate stood open to the world while cold winds gusted along the walls. Pulling his tattered clothing close, he hugged himself and walked toward the gate. As he entered, he heard rustling behind him, but in the weak, shifting light he could see nothing. Fear caused a chill to run down his spine and he broke out in a cold sweat.
The man moved carefully through the dimly lit gate as he looked nervously out into the dark. Hoping to limit access to himself, he clung to the wall inside the court yard. The interior was dark and he couldn't make anything out beyond the small circles of light the torches made. How far he had to travel was unknown. A low growl issued from the blackness. He quickly moved closer to a torch, but froze when another growl sounded behind him. In his panic, he had not noticed the darker silhouette of an archway below the torch. God, he wished he wasn't so alone. More growls filled the night as warm fluid ran down the inside of his pants just before he screamed and ran recklessly out into the dark.
Within a few steps he was knocked down by razor sharp teeth sinking into his right calf. Screaming hysterically he thrashed as more teeth clamped onto his arms and neck. He could see nothing of the creatures that attacked him, nor did he make contact with anything as he tried desperately to dislodge the mouths from his flesh. The pain went beyond endurance. Just before blacking out, his eyes were filled with a soft radiance as if the spring sun shone softly through newly grown leaves. The pain stopped, followed by merciful darkness.
His eyes fluttered open.
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